Dhaka, Jan 29 (.) Bangladesh’s Election Commission, barring both government officials and public employees from campaigning ahead of the February 12 referendum on the July Charter, has warned all parties that any attempt to influence voters into backing either a “Yes” or “No” outcome would amount to a criminal offence.
In a directive issued on Wednesday, the EC, clarifying permitted discourse about the referendum said, that state employees may explain the fundamentals, working mechanisms, and significance of the referendum to the public but are strictly prohibited from urging voters to support or oppose the proposal.
Doing so, it said, would be violation of Section 21 of the Referendum Ordinance, 2025, and Article 86 of the Representation of the People Order, 1972.
The commission, cautioning officials from campaigning said that their antics could potentially distort the outcome of a nationally significant vote, and would be treated as a punishable act under election law.
Divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, returning officers and regional election officials have all been instructed to ensure strict compliance with all directives issued, while copies of the order have been circulated to senior civil servants, ministries and all major law enforcement agencies.
As the vote draws near, EC’s insistence on neutrality further underscores concern that even the very perception of any kind of state interference could potentially undermine the legitimacy of a vote that may well determine Bangladesh’s political and constitutional direction for decades to come.
During the vote, all participants will asked to vote on either a “Yes” or “No” for the so-called July Charter, a sweeping reform package born out of last year’s mass uprising, which seeks a constitutional overhaul.
A “Yes” vote would legally bind the next parliament to implement 84 reform proposals, many of them reworking certain constitutional norms, thus redefining the country’s very political identity.
One of the most contentious of these reforms is a plan to redefine the republic’s identity by replacing the term “Bengali” with “Bangladeshi”, while recognising all mother tongues alongside Bangla, which would remain the state language.
The charter also proposes replacing the existing state principles of secularism, pluralism, socialism under the Mujibism ideology, changing them with equality, dignity and religious harmony.
If endorsed, the reforms would introduce a bicameral parliament, adding a 100-member upper house elected through proportional representation, and expand reserved seats for women in the lower house to 100.
The prime minister, as per the charter, would face a lifetime cap of 10 years in office, be barred from holding multiple posts, and lose the ability to unilaterally declare emergencies or suspend fundamental rights.
Power would also shift towards parliament and the presidency. National security treaties would require legislative approval, the president would be elected by a joint sitting of both houses, and key appointments would be subject to tighter checks.
The caretaker government system would be restored through consensus between government and opposition, although a Supreme Court ruling reinstating it would remain binding even if the charter is rejected.
A “No” vote would leave these proposals without legal force, handing the initiative back to whichever party wins the general election. Some reforms could still be pursued through legislation or executive action, but the core constitutional changes would remain unresolved.
. . CDS